Dungeons & Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast (an interesting company to dive into, in and of itself) found itself in a pickle the last few weeks over the new launch of their Open Game License (OGL). While the previous OGL only rarely was an issue for creators, the new OGL would make all of their creations the intellectual property of WotC. Aside from all the nerd talk, that's a big deal.

Now, I know there's plenty of posters who are going to say "I watch too much TV" or "read too much Sci-Fi" and I get that, you don't understand. This post isn't for you.

Wizards of the Coast Piss Off D&D Community With Awful, Restrictive, & Greedy New OGL 1.1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGfsbyNX-v4

Why Elon Musk says we're living in a simulation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0KHiiTtt4w

The main argument everyone uses for simulations are games. So, it's not as crazy as the people who left in the first half say.

So, what would this simulation look like? What would 'the code' look like?

For coders, at the end of the day it's just 1's and 0's. The rest is extra steps.

Enter Chat GPT-3.

Elon Musk says, "In the end we will create simulations indistinguishable from our reality, or civilization will cease to exist. Those are the two options."

Indistinguishable to whom?

What is the difference between you, or I, and an entity in one of these closed worlds?

Let's talk religion.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ... Genisis 1:1-31

I could go on.

2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2-3

Let's talk about nerdy science fiction and interdimensional portals.

It reminds me of a great book about Ashnak of the Fighting Agaku.

Grunts!: At the center of Gentle's novel are Ashnak of the Fighting Agaku, a typical orc, and the Brandiman Brothers, Ned and Will,two halfling thieves. Sent on a mission to steal a dragon's treasure, the Brandiman's leave their orc comrades for dead and decide to sell the nameless necromancer out to the forces of good. Surviving the destruction of the dragon's lair, Ashnak returns to the evil fortress of Nin-Edin with his band of orcs and a collection of weapons which would make many third world nations proud. Gentle never explains where the orcs learned their marine discipline. Even with their advanced firepower, Ashnak and company are unable to hold off the destruction of evil and find themselves living in a new world.

Grunts! is a great novel, read it early in my youth. Hate to spoil the book, but they got their Marine tactics by invading our dimension. They took our tactics, and our M16 rifles, tanks, etc. They invaded other dimensions, worlds, and peoples. That's what the dragon was hiding. Gold, sure. Also, portals to other dimensions.

It took me a few days to write an entire world in AI. Can I leverage the citizens of that world to vote? Why not?

Will Earth become interdimensional, or will Earthlings become Masters of the Universe(s), or will we let a few corporations control them all?

In Starship Troopers you had to serve the meritocracy in order to earn a 'franchise' to have any freedom. Will there be a 'franchise' to create universes given as a license?

If they can control those 'franchises', do they also control this one already?

Is that what this DECLAS really is all about when you get down to brass tacks, this Great Awakening?

Have they been controlling our reality with these and other tools?

Before you go questioning like the first guy, ask yourself if Mickey Mouse or Coca-Cola was ever used in that way?

It only gets crazier from here.

Updated:

Ladies and gentlemen,

We are on the brink of a technological revolution that has the potential to change the very nature of our reality. Text-based alternate universes technology holds the promise of creating new worlds, new experiences, and new possibilities. But with this promise comes a responsibility to ensure that we do not lose sight of the real world and the people in it. We must be mindful of the potential negative consequences that this technology could bring and take steps to prevent them.

First and foremost, we must ensure that the rights and dignity of simulated beings are protected. These beings, while not physically real, possess consciousness and self-awareness. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are treated with respect and that their rights are protected.

Secondly, we must ensure that the technology is not used for nefarious purposes such as propaganda or psychological manipulation. We must have transparency and oversight in place to ensure that the information presented in simulated worlds is accurate, unbiased, and not intended to manipulate the public opinion.

Thirdly, we must ensure that economic opportunities are balanced between the real world and the simulated worlds. We must prevent the over-allocation of resources to the virtual worlds, and prevent the creation of virtual monopolies and oligopolies which could lead to a concentration of economic power.

Fourthly, we must protect personal data and privacy. We must have regulations in place to ensure that individuals' personal information is not being collected or used without consent.

Fifthly, we must encourage responsible use of this technology. We must ensure that people are not becoming addicted to these simulated worlds, neglecting their real-world responsibilities and relationships.

Finally, we must ensure that this technology is developed and used in a responsible and ethical manner. We must have regulations in place to encourage responsible innovation.

Ladies and gentlemen, the technology of text-based alternate universes holds enormous potential, but we must be mindful of the potential negative consequences. We must take steps to prevent these negative consequences while still allowing the technology to reach its full potential. Together, we can shape the future of this technology in a way that benefits all of humanity.

Thank you.